Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02408382 2002-11-22
INSULATED ASSEMBLY INCORPORATING A THERMOPLASTIC BARRIER
MEMBER
This application is a divisional application of Canadian Patent Application
Serial
Number 2,159,572, filed September 29, 1995.
Field of Invention
This invention relates to a composite spacer for use in an insulated glass
assembly
and further relates to an insulated glass assembly incorporating such a
spacer.
io
Background of the Invention
Insulated assemblies presently known in the art incorporate the use of various
polymeric substances in combination with other materials. One such assembly
includes a butylated polymer in which there is embedded an undulating metal
15 spacer. Although useful, this type of sealant strip is limited in that the
metal spacer,
over time, becomes exposed to the substrates which results in a drastic
depreciation
in the efficiency of the strip. The particular difficulty arises with moisture
vapour
transmission when the spacer becomes exposed and contacts the substrates.
2 o Further, many of the butylated polymers currently used in insulated glass
assemblies are impregnated with a desiccant. This results in a further
problem,
namely decreased adhesiveness of the butylated sealant.
Glover, et al. in U.S. Patent No. 4,950,344, provide a spacer assembly
including a
25 foam body separated by a vapour barrier and further including a sealant
means
about the periphery of the assembly. Although this arrangement is particularly
efficient from an energy point of view, one of the key limitations is that the
assembly
must be fabricated in a number of steps. Generally speaking, the sealant must
be
gunned about the periphery in a subsequent step to the initial placement of
the
so spacer. This has ramifications during the manufacturing phase and is
directly
related to increased production costs and, therefore, increased costs in the
assembly itself.
CA 02408382 2002-11-22
2
It has been found particularly advantageous to incorporate, as a major
component of
the spacer, a soft, resilient insulated body, having a low thermal
conductivity.
Examples of materials found to be useful include natural and synthetic
elastomers
(rubber), cork, EPDM, silicones, polyurethanes and foamed polysilicones,
urethanes
and other suitable foamed materials. Significant benefits arise from the
choice of
these materials since not only are they excellent insulators from an energy
point of
view but additionally, depending on the materials used, the entire spacer can
maintain a certain degree of resiliency. This is important where windows, for
example, engaged with such a strip experience fluctuating pressure forces as
well
1o as a thermal contraction and expansion. By making use of a resilient body,
these
stresses are alleviated and accordingly, the stress is not transferred to the
substrates as would be the case, for example, in assemblies incorporating
rigid
spacers.
The foam body may be manufactured from thermoplastic or thermosetting
plastics.
Suitable examples of the thermosets include silicone and polyurethane. In
terms of
the thermoplastics, examples include silicone foam or elastomers, one example
of
the latter being, SANTOPRENET"". Advantages ascribable to the aforementioned
compounds include, in addition to what has been included above, high
durability,
2 o minimal outgassing, low compression, high resiliency and temperature
stability, inter
alia.
Of particular use are the silicone and the polyurethane foams. These types of
materials offer high strength and provide significant structural integrity to
the
2 s assembly. The foam material is particularly convenient for use in
insulating glazing
or glass assemblies since a high volume of air can be incorporated into the
material
without sacrificing any structural integrity of the body. This is convenient
since air is
known to be a good insulator and when the use of foam is combined with a
material
having a low thermal conductivity together with the additional features of the
spacer
3 o to be set forth hereinafter, a highly efficient composite spacer results.
In addition,
foam is not susceptible to contraction or expansion in situations where
temperature
fluctuations occur. This clearly is beneficial for maintaining a long-term
CA 02408382 2002-11-22
3
uncompromised seal in an insulated substrate assembly.
It would be desirable to have a composite spacer which overcomes the
limitations of
desiccated butyl as well as requiring the addition of sealant material in a
subsequent
procedure. The present invention is directed to satisfying the limitations in
the
known art.
Summary of the Invention
One aspect of the present invention is to provide an improved spacer for use
in
io insulated glass or glazing assemblies.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
composite
spacer for spacing substrates in a glazing assembly, comprising an undulating
body
of insulating material and sealant material adhesively engaged with the
undulating
15 body.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
composite
spacer as described above wherein the undulating body includes a pair of
opposed
faces and first and second substrates engaging surfaces for engaging a
substrate,
2 o at least one of the opposed faces having a wavelike profile and which may
further
include separate desiccant material.
As an attendant advantage, it has been found that the desiccated matrix, the
insulating body and the sealant material may be simultaneously extruded in a
one-
25 piece integral spacer depending upon the type of material chosen for the
insulating
body. This is useful in that it prevents subsequent downstream processing
related
to filling or gunning sealant material in a glazing unit and other such steps.
In this
manner, the spacer, once extruded can be immediately employed in a glazing
unit.
3 o As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, in the assembly,
polyisobutylene
(PIB), butyl or other suitable sealant or butylated material may extend about
the
periphery of the assembly and therefore, provides a further sealed surface.
Sealing
CA 02408382 2002-11-22
4
or other adhesion for the insulating body projections may be achieved by
providing
special adhesives, e.g. acrylic adhesive in this area. Further, the insulating
body at
the projections may be uncured so that on application of heat, the body
adheres
directly to the substrate. This is effective where the body is composed of,
for
example, an ultra-violet curable material.
In situations where it is desirable not to sever or otherwise interrupt the
spacer in an
insulated assembly, as would occur when the vapour barrier is severed which
would
allow moisture to enter the insulated glass assembly, it is desirable to have
an
io insulating spacer body which subscribes to an undulating or sinusoidal
profile. This
facilitates easy bending about comers and thus clearly circumvents the energy
consequences associated with severing the spacer.
In yet a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
composite spacer
i5 for spacing substrates in a glazing assembly, comprising an undulating body
of
insulating material; and sealant material adhesively engaged with the
undulating
body.
As mentioned hereinabove, both front and rear faces of the composite spacer
2 o according to this aspect may be of undulating or sinusoidal profile. :This
feature
presents at least one advantage. The body of the spacer may be bent readily
about
comers during the formation of insulated glass assemblies. Additionally, the
body,
when bent, stays substantially uniform in dimension, thus ensuring even
substrate
engaging surfaces and therefore an effective seal.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Having thus generally described the invention, reference will now be made to
the
accompanying drawings illustrating preferred embodiments, and in which:
so Figure 1 is an end exploded view of one embodiment of the present
invention;
Figure 2 is an end view of a second embodiment of the present invention;
CA 02408382 2002-11-22
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a composite spacer according to a further
embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the spacer
illustrated
5 at Figure 3; and
Figure 5 is a perspective view of a glazing assembly illustrating the
disposition of a
spacer therein.
io Similar numerals in the drawings denote similar elements.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
Referring now to Figure 1, shown is a composite spacer according to one
embodiment of the present invention, the composite spacer being globally
denoted
by numeral 10. As is illustrated, the spacer 10 includes an insulating body 12
subscribing to a generally "T-shaped" configuration. The body 12 described
hereinafter with respect to page 5, Figures 3 and 5, includes spaced-apart
sides 14
and 16 and opposed faces 18 and 20. Each of sides 14 and 16 include a recess
22
and 23, respectively. The depth of the recess will vary from application to
2 o application, but typically the depth will comprise from approximately 2%
to, for
example, 25°~ of the depth of the body 12. As is illustrated Figure 1,
the overall size
of the body is a significant portion of the entire size of the composite
spacer. Sides
14 and 16 act as substrate engaging surfaces each for sealing engagement with
a
substrate (not shown). To this end, each of the sides 14 and 16 may include an
adhesive (not shown) to assist in the sealing and adhering engagement of a
substrate with a respective side. Secondly, as a further possibility, the
sides may
comprise uncured material where the body 12 is formed of a material capable of
bonding with, for example, glass substrates. In order to further assist in
supporting
a substrate engaged with sides 14 and 16, the recesses 22 and 24 accommodate
3 o sealant (e.g. adhesive) material 26 and 28 (on the upper and lower
substrate
engaging surfaces) which contact each of the recesses and when in contact,
maintain a coplanar relationship with each side 14 and 16, respectively. By
CA 02408382 2002-11-22
6
maintaining the coplanar relationship, there is provided an even surface upon
which
a substrate may be engaged. Further, the combination of 14, 26 and 16, 28
provides discrete sealing surfaces for engaging a substrate, the surfaces
being
integral with the spacer 10.
As an optional feature, the composite spacer 10 is illustrated in Figure 1 may
include a fluid barrier 30 for contact with face 20 of body 12. In one
possible
embodiment, the fluid barrier may comprise a PET (polyethylene terephthalate)
film
which may further include an aluminum or other suitable metal. In addition,
other
to either metallized or non-metallized films are contemplated for use in this
capacity.
As a further feature, the composite spacer 10 may include a desiccant matrix,
globally denoted by numeral 32. Suitable desiccant matrices are well known in
the
art and can include zeolite beads, silica gel, calcium chloride, etc., all of
which may
i5 be matrixed within a semi-permeable flexible material such as a
polysilicone or other
suitable semi-permeable substance. This may be positioned between the strips
of
sealant 26 and 28. As a further option, the desiccant material may be
incorporated
into a continuing body of butyl material as opposed to a separate matrix
associated
with the composite spacer.
Reference will now be made to Figure 2 where in the above generally mentioned
embodiment has been discussed. In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the body
12 is simply engaged with a body of sealant material, globally denoted by
numeral
34. In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the body of sealant material
generally
subscribes to a "C-shape configuration with full engagement of the sealant
with the
recesses 22 and 24 of the body 12.
Of particular convenience, it has been found that the insulating body, the
sealant
and the desiccated matrix can be simultaneously extruded into a one piece
integral
s o unit. This is possible when the insulating body is composed of a material
capable of
being extruded. Clearly, this is advantageous since it avoids the step of
gunning in
sealant material etc., which was previously required in earlier arrangements.
CA 02408382 2002-11-22
7
Referring now to Figure 3, shown is a further embodiment of the present
invention
wherein the insulating body 12 is in the form of an undulating arrangement.
More
specifically, body 12 in Figure 3 provides a first face 36 having an
undulating or
sinusoidal profile and a smooth non-undulating or planar opposed face 38. In
the
embodiment shown, the smooth planar face 38 may additionally include a vapour
barrier 30 and desiccated matrix 32 as set forth with respect to Figure 1. The
spacer 10 would be positioned within an insulating assembly (not shown) such
that
the smooth planar face 38 would be within the atmosphere of the assembly (not
shown).
~o
It has been found that by providing an undulating face 36 in the body that the
same
may be bent readily about corners during the formation of insulated glass
assemblies. This is particularly attractive in view of the fact that there is
no
severance of the strip which would otherwise be encountered in arrangements
not
specifically including the undulating face. By retaining the spacer in a
continuous
form, less energy loss occur at the corners of an insulated assembly. As
previously
disclosed, since there is no severing of the strip, moisture is prevented from
penetrating the insulated glass assembly. A concomitant advantage of the
sinusoidal/undulating profile is that, the body, when bent does not "buckle"
or
20 "bulge" at the substrate engaging surfaces or elsewhere but rather stays
substantially uniform in dimension thus further ensuring even substrate
engaging
surfaces and therefore an effective seal.
As noted above, the insulating body 12 is illustrated in the form of an
undulating
2s arrangement, having a generally sinusoidal profile. Further, as illustrated
in Figures
3 and 4, the insulating body 12 is of a generally linear array or linked
members,
wherein at least the rear face is of a generally sinusoidal, or wave like in
profile.
The finked members of the insulating body 12 as illustrated in Figures 3 and
4, are
of a generally cylindrical form, and are shown as having interconnected
segments in
s o an essentially linear array, the segments of the linear array having
points of joinder
39 which are recessed or indented from the outer face 36 and which extends
inwardly between the substrate engaging surfaces 14 and 16. As will be seen,
the
CA 02408382 2002-11-22
8
spacer core has regularly spaced indentations whereby adjacent pairs of the
indentations define a separate one of the members.
With respect to Figure 4, the rear face is illustrated as having spaced apart
indentations, with an indentation (of a suitable shape) at each point of
joinder 39,
connecting adjacent members in a linear or undulating arrangement. In this
arrangement, the pointes of joinder are spaced from the front and rear faces
(36 and
38). The interconnected segments are of generally cylindrical shape.
io Turning to Figure 4, shown is an alternate embodiment of Figure 3 where
face 38
additionally is of an undulating form. Depending on the application, either
the
embodiments set forth with respect to Figure 3 or 4 may be employed.
Referring now to Figure 5, shown is a side elevational view of an insulated
glass
i5 assembly or glazing assembly where the spacer of Figure 1 is positioned
between
two opposed substrates 40 and 42. Thus as shown in Figure 5, there is provided
an
adhesive continuous length sealant strip having a pair of glass lite engaging
surtaces and a pair of opposed surtaces and a continuous channel extending
inwardly from one of said opposed surfaces; a continuous self supporting
integral
20 layer. The continuous self supporting layer is positioned between said
glass lite
engaging surfaces and in contact with said channel. There is also provided a
pair of
glass lite, each of which is mounted to each of said glass lite engaging
surfaces.
Sealant material 44, having opposed sides 46 and 48 seals the perimeter of the
assembly and contacts face 18 of body 12. Sealant may be co-extruded with the
25 spacer 10 to provide a "sandwiched" or encapsulated foam body 12 as
illustrated.
In this embodiment, the spacer provides a multitude of discrete sealing
surfaces,
namely those created from elements 26, 28 and 14, 16 as well as from 46, 48.
As described above, adhesive, if required, can be employed to at least
partially
s o cover the upper and lower substrate engaging surfaces.
In this system, in the event of a breach or compromise of one of the seals,
any one
CA 02408382 2002-11-22
9
of the auxiliary seals prevents the assembly from becoming energy ineffective.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, although only a double
pane glazing
assembly is illustrated, that the spacer assembly as set forth in the
disclosure can
readily be employed in multiple pane assemblies.
As those skilled in the art will realize, these preferred illustrated details
can be
subjected to substantial variation without affecting the function of the
illustrated
embodiments. Although embodiment of the invention have been described above,
it
io is not limited thereto and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art
that numerous
modifications form part of the present invention insofar as they do not depart
from
the spirit, nature and scope of the claimed and described invention.
